asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will issue a direction to the SSHA to desist from the building of houses in areas where the local authority rental structure is such that SSHA tenants need to enjoy a rent subsidy paid by tenants of similar SSHA properties in localities with more economic rentals in the public sector.

The association's main function is to build houses in support of economic expansion and for overspill, and its programme should continue to be designed primarily in accordance with these needs.

asked the Sectary of State for Scotland whether, in view of his historic buildings investigators' recommendation that the buildings at 274–278 Canongate and 2–68 St. Mary's Street, Edinburgh, should be included in a statutory list of buildings of architectural or historic importance, and as such inclusion need not await revision of the whole Edinburgh or Scottish lists, he will immediately give his decision on this matter.

I do not think there is any compelling reason why these particular buildings should be considered in isolation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had from organisations in Scotland regarding the recommendations of the Hardman Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters he has had on the Hardman Report.

Since the Hardman Report was published, four letters have been sent to Scottish Ministers containing representations critical of the Hardman Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether it is his intention for hard shoulders to be provided on the Forth Road Bridge approach roads as well as on the present length of the M90 motorway north from the Forth Road Bridge.

These are not trunk roads, and this matter is, therefore, one for the highway authorities concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he had, and with whom, prior to his appointment of members to serve on the new health boards under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1972.

I am sending the hon. Gentleman a copy of the circular issued on 23rd June 1972 to the bodies I consulted regarding the appointment of members of health boards, together with a list of some 220 recipients of that circular.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of industrial and non-industrial civil servants under his responsibility; and whether he has any plans for a policy of dispersal within Scotland.

At 1st April 1973 there were 9,598 industrial and non-industrial staff in the Scottish Office.At present there are no plans for changing the pattern of staff distribution throughout Scotland, but the position is kept under review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of young people expected to leave school in the Glasgow travel-to-work area this summer.

The raising of the school leaving age makes forecasting difficult, but it is estimated that about 7,300 young people will leave school in the area defined as the Glasgow travel-to-work area.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet completed his consideration of the Emslie Report.

Not yet.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been expended on development in the Peterhead Harbour of Refuge to date; and how much more is now estimated as necessary to complete the development.

Over £½ million has been spent on the scheme initiated by the Government in the southern part of the harbour and a further £1½ million will be required to complete it. Expenditure on other schemes either already under construction or at various planning stages will eventually greatly exceed the Government's own contribution to the development of the harbour.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in discussing the White Paper on justices of the peace and justices' courts (Command Paper No. 5241) with local authorities and other interested parties; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is examining very carefully the comments that he has received on the White Paper, some of which were sent to him very recently. He is not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the need to improve the infrastructure of South and East Fife; and when he expects to announce the starting date for the East Fife regional road.

I am keenly aware of the importance of effective infrastructure to the economic development of Fife. We are studying a recent report by Fife County Council which, I hope, will enable me to reach a decision on a starting date for the East Fife regional road.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now raise the age for free prescriptions from 15 years to 16 years of age following the raising of the school leaving age to 16 years.

No relationship is intended between the age limit for automatic exemption from prescription charges and the age of ending full-time education, and I see no reason to alter the existing arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations have been made to him about house prices; and how much prices of houses have risen in the last year up until the latest available date.

I have received some representations about the level, and rate of increase, of house prices.The following is the latest available information on house prices from the Building Societies' Association's 5 per cent. sample survey:

AVERAGE PRICES OF HOUSES IN SCOTLAND
	New Houses £	Existing Houses £	All Houses £
January-December 1971	5,673	5,297	5,406
January-December 1972	6,596	6,071	6,323

The survey's average prices for January to June 1973 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Scottish-grown timber is being sold by the Forestry Commission at prices below those obtainable through public auction; that this is having adverse affects on small timber mills; and if he will inquire into this matter.

The prices of timber sold by the Forestry Commission under negotiated contracts were frozen by stage 1 of the counter-inflation programme but sales by auction or tender were not affected. Under stage 2 all sales of unprocessed timber have been freed from price control and this will be reflected in future prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will ensure that home-grown timber is sold by the Forestry Commission by public auction or open tender;(2) if he will take steps to abolish long-term negotiated contracts on the sale of timber by the Forestry Commission.

No. The method by which the Forestry Commission sells its timber varies according to the circumstances and should be left to its commercial judgment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will initiate inquiries into means of ensuring that wood pulp and chip prices are economic enough to discourage the waste of timber at pulp mills.

I see no need for an inquiry. The demand by pulp mills for home-grown wood for pulping and for bark-free chips exceeds the available supply, and the prices are fully competitive.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received requesting consideration of a scheme whereby senior citizens be given an authority card to enable them to obtain half-price rail or sea travel, plus one free ticket per year to any destination in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

None. Any such scheme would be a matter for the transport operators concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scoltand how many claims have been allowed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what was the shortest, longest and average length of time, respectively, between the submission of the claim and the making of a decision.

During the financial year 1972–73, 1,500 claims arising from Scotland were resolved by the making of an award. The information required to answer the second part of the Question is not available in the form requested, but the following table gives in respect of Scotland and England and Wales information for 1972–73 concerning the period taken in investigating applications and preparing them for decision by board members.

Time Taken to Investigate Cases 1972–73
	per cent.
Not more than 3 months	48
More than 3 months, not more than 6 months	30
More than 6 months, not more than 9 months	13
More than 9 months, not more than 12 months	5
More than 12 months	4
	100

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will raise at the UN Commission on Human Rights the question of the continuing harassment of trade unionists in Spain.

No. We have no standing to raise this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the report he has sought from the British Consul General in Mozambique concerning allegations that atrocities had been committed by Portuguese troops.

I have nothing to add to what my right hon. Friend said in the debate yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will refer to the UN Commission on Human Rights the matter of the detention of political prisoners without trial in Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

No. We have no standing to raise this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he will take to implement the resolution passed by the First United Nations Law of the Sea Conference regarding nuclear tests on the high seas.

None. The resolution on nuclear tests on the high seas adopted by the First United Nations Law of the Sea Conference on 27th April 1958 did not call for any action by Her Majesty's Government. It referred the question of nuclear tests for appropriate action to the General Assembly of the United Nations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a protest to the French Government about the effect on British interests of France's breach of Article 25 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas relating to the prevention of pollution of the seas or air space above resulting from activities with radioactive materials.

No. Her Majesty's Government see no reason for such action.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protest he will make to the French Government about the effect on British interests of France's breach of the Conventions on the Law of the Sea 1958 relating to the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in any dispute arising out of the interpretation or application of any article of the said convention.

None. If my hon. Friend has in mind the Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes, which was adopted together with the 1958 Conventions, France has not ratified that protocol and cannot therefore be in breach of it. It has not been invoked by any party in relation to the present proceedings before the International Court.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protest he will make to the French Government about the effect on British interests of France's breach of Article 8 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas relating to the immunity of warships from the jurisdiction of any State other than the flag State.

None. No action has been taken which calls for any protest by Her Majesty's Government in respect of Article 8 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protest he will make to the French Government about the effect on British interests of France's breach of Article 2 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas relating to the freedom to fly over the high seas.

None. No action has been taken which calls for any protest by Her Majesty's Government in respect of Article 2 of the Geneva Convention on the High Seas.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea to attain its planned five-day turn-round time in dealing with provisional driving licence applications.

The centre is now processing 95 per cent. of current first applications within six working days, and 98 per cent. within 10 days. I hope it will soon reach the planned standard of 98 per cent. within five working days.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now publish the inspector's report into the Allestree section of the A5111 Leeds-Exeter trunk road, following the public inquiry which ended in November 1972, bearing in mind the postponement of this scheme already announced by his Department.

The report will be published when my right hon. Friend is able to announce his decision on the proposals later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to obtain the views of members of the Redbridge Borough Council on his consultative paper on public participation in trunk road planning.

Local authorities were invited on 27th March to express views by 11th May. The views of members of the Redbridge Borough Council have not been submitted either before or after that date. We hope to make a further announcement shortly and I am not taking any further steps to obtain views.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will accede to the request of the Mid-Severn Steering Committee that the functions of sewage disposal should be carried out by the new district councils for at least a year from 1st April 1974.

No. This will be a matter for the Severn-Trent Water Authority to consider.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many private and public dwellings were built in 1967 and 1973; how many starts in each case were made in the first quarter of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Completions reported this year up to 31st May number 78,600 private and 43,800 public dwellings. The corresponding figures in 1967 were 73,500 and 79,000. In the first quarters, private and public starts were 59,700 and 47,500 in 1967 and 55,400 and 26,500 in 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will reconsider his decision concerning a 50 miles per hour speed limit through the village of West Wellow, Hampshire, having regard to the development, particularly on the northern side of the village.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the total amount paid to the city of Manchester in rate support grant in 1972–73, and in each of the preceding seven years;(2) what percentage of Manchester Corporation's total expenditure was met by moneys received from central Government in 1972–73 and in each of the preceding seven years; and how the percentage compared in each of these years with the average for all local authorities in England and Wales.

The amount of rate support grant paid to Manchester County Borough Council and the percentage of rate and grant-borne revenue expenditure met by Government grants including housing subsidies in the county borough and in all local authorities in England and Wales were as follows:

		Percentage of expenditure met by grants
	Rate Support Grant or the equivalent grant £	In Manchester Per cent.	In England and Wales Per cent.
1965–66	12, 915,000	46·5	54·1
1966–67	13, 687,000	47·3	54·5
1967–68	15, 008,000	48·9	55·1
1968–69	15, 314,000	45·4	55·5
1969–70	18, 016,000	49·1	57·7
1970–71	21, 349,000	51·4	59·2
1971–72	22, 574,000	51·5	59·3
1972–73	25, 941,000	n.a.	n.a.

The percentages for 1968–69 and onwards are not wholly comparable with those for earlier years because the police grant was no longer payable to the county borough council from 1st April, 1968, when responsibility for the police service was transferred to the Manchester and Salford Police Authority. Capital grants

represented the following proportions of capital expenditure:

	In Manchester Per cent.	In England and Wales Per cent.
1965–66	6·0	2·6
1966–67	3·1	3·1
1967–68	4·3	4·7
1968–69	2·5	5·1
1969–70	2·9	5·7
1970–71	2·7	5·7
1971–72	2·3	5·7

Details of revenue and capital expenditure for 1972–73 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of Hampshire County Council's total expenditure was met by moneys received from central Government in 1972–73 and in each of the preceding seven years.

Government grants represented the following proportions of the revenue expenditure of Hampshire met by rates and revenue grants:

	County council services Per cent.	All services including those of district councils Per cent.
1965–66	61·4	53·0
1966–67	62·3	53·7
1967–68	61·2	53·8
1968–69	62·3	55·4
1969–70	64·4	57·9
1970–71	64·5	58·6
1971–72	63·6	58·3

The figures for 1967–68 and onwards are not wholly comparable with those for earlier years because the police grant was no longer payable from 1st April, 1967 when the police service was transferred to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police Authorities.Capital grants represented the following proportions of the capital expenditure of the county council:

	Per cent.
1965–66	1·5
1966–67	5·5
1967–68	11·7
1968–69	16·5
1969–70	3·3
1970–71	11·1
1971–72	7·5

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the total number of owner-occupiers in England and Wales;(2) what percentage of the total number of owner-occupiers he estimates have repaid the whole of their mortgage;(3) what was the total number of council house tenants in England and Wales in April 1973.

The numbers of owner-occupiers and of local authority tenants in England and Wales are estimated currently to be 8.8 million and 4.7 million respectively. About 45 per cent. of the owner-occupiers, including those who have paid off their mortgages, own their homes outright.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications were received and granted for housing grants in the Hull employment exchange area; and how many people were covered by them.

This information is not available. Details of grants approved in individual local authority areas are given in Local Housing Statistics, published quarterly; any additional information should be obtained direct from the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to ascertain and publish the number of local housing authorities which have received tenders for house building more than 10 per cent. above his Department's unit cost yardstick.

It would not be in the interests of local authorities generally to publish this information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how often the Freight Integration Council met during the past 12 months; who are its members; what remuneration they receive; and what are its present activities.

On membership, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Mr. John) on 8th March 1973. The council has not met during the past 12 months. Its members are paid expenses only.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will write to all householders displaced by public schemes for which he is responsible who may qualify for home-loss payments under the Land Compensation Act 1973, bringing this to their attention.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment for what purpose he proposes to sell the 59 acres of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford.

Of the 59 acres of land at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Bedford, 15 acres is on offer to the Bedford Rural District Council, 2 acres of sewage works will be offered to the same council and 55.5 acres is agricultural land which will be offered to the former owners or sold by auction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of misunderstanding created by preliminary work now being carried out under his authority at Maplin Sands, he will make it clear that this work in no way prejudices the outcome of the parliamentary consideration of the Maplin Development Bill.

I am not aware of any misunderstanding. Parliamentary consideration of the Maplin Development Bill has not been prejudiced by the preliminary investigations, and any subsequent proceedings will be materially assisted by the facts those investigations will provide.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement concerning the extent of the work already in progress at Maplin Sands for the reclamation of land for the development of a combined airport-seaport complex, giving details of the contract awarded to Fairway Consortium and the instructions he gave to the Port of London Authority and the Third London Airport Directorate concerning the limits of this contract.

No reclamation work is in progress at Maplin Sands. A number of preliminary investigations and practical tests are being carried out. These have included the construction of a trial bank of dredged material outside the reclamation area. The bank will not form part of the proposed reclamation works.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the routes for the access roads to Maplin and the new town.

On 23rd July I shall publish two consultation documents. One sets out the various possible corridors within which the motorway and high-speed rail link to Maplin could run, and the other delineates a suggested designation area for the proposed new town. Copies of the consultation documents will be available from the Vote Office on that date.I am inviting local authorities, other public bodies and the public generally to let me have their comments on the proposals. I shall take those comments into account before selecting one access corridor for more detailed survey and design, and before deciding on the area to be included in a draft new town designation order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many projects have been completed under the Operation Eyesore scheme in the Warley area.

None. The scheme applied only to the development, intermediate and derelict land clearance areas. Warley is not such an area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many trees he estimates will be planted along roads for which he is responsible in the London borough of Hounslow during 1973; and how this figure compares with those for the preceding five years.

About 100 trees in 1973. No planting is recorded for the preceding five years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements will be made to deal in future with the special problems of Broadland within the new Anglian Water Authority.

Following my meeting with the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Authority, the two county councils and the Great Yarmouth Port and Haven Commissioners, the chairman-designate of the Anglian Water Authority has agreed to recommend to his authority the formation of a committee under Clause 6 (7) of the Water Bill to discharge the authority's functions relating to recreation and amenity on the Broads.I am satisfied that it will be quite practicable to establish such a committee consisting of people with the necessary local knowledge and experience of the Broads and at the same time complying with the Water Bill's requirements that two-thirds of the members of such a committee must also be members of the authority. It is envisaged that the other one-third of the members would be appointed by the authority after consultation with local interests.These arrangements should ensure that the special position of Broadland is recognised and safeguarded within the regional water authority.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Greater London Council about the arrangements he proposes to make to control the flow of traffic from the new extension of the M3 on to the A316.

Discussions have been held between officers of the Department and the Greater London Council. Various measures will be adopted to control the flow of traffic. These will include the temporary restriction to two lanes of the eastbound carriageway of the M3 west of Sunbury.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many days in the past two years one or more lanes of the Ml from the North Bedfordshire border to London has been closed for repairs.

One or more lanes on sections of the Ml from the North Bedfordshire border to Hendon have been closed during the past two years for varying periods on 1,026 occasions.The records do not distinguish between the reasons for closures which include routine recurring operations for repair and/or maintenance. Reasons for other closures which are unlikely to recur were the installation of safety barriers and of lighting and strengthening work on box girder bridges. The figure does not include closures due to accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to make a commencement order to bring into operation Schedule 1 to the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act 1972 in relation to surveys and development plans in Greater London.

The Greater London Council and the London Boroughs Association have already been consulted about such an order, and it will be made as soon as possible after their comments have been considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, following representations made to him by the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, South, he can now say when he expects to receive the comments of the Ministry of Agriculture surveyor on the soil analysis report relating to the sale of allotment land in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

The report of the Ministry of Agriculture surveyor has now been received, and its contents conveyed by letter to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received and what plans he has to establish lorry parks in Humberside, with particular reference to Hull; and if he will make a statement.

Sites for the development of lorry parks have been identified at Hull and Goole.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the possible damage to the amenities of Thamesmead which could result from the building of this power station, he will call in for his own decision the planning application for a power station on the riverside at Barking.

I have been asked to reply.The Central Electricity Generating Board has applied for consent under Section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909, together with deemed planning permission under Section 40 (1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, for a 2000 MW oil-fired generating station at Barking.No decision will be taken on the board's application until any representations which may be made have been fully considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, during the period of the last 12 months, how many of the boys and girls placed in employment from the area covered by the Old Kilpatrick and New Kilpatrick Youth Employment Committee are receiving or have received training for skilled jobs.

665 young people, 362 boys and 303 girls, entered first employment during the period July 1972—June 1973. Of these, 208–168 boys and 40 girls—took up apprenticeships or employment leading to professional qualifications; 130–34 boys and 96 girls—entered clerical employment, some of which provides planned training. In addition, 35 young people were awarded places under the special industrial training boards awards schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current unemployment figures in percentages for the South-East of England, Wales and Scotland, respectively.

On 11th June 1973 the rates of unemployment were 1.3 per cent. for the South-East Region, 3.3 per cent. for Wales and 4.3 per cent. for Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of factory inspectors; and what are the qualifications required and starting salary for men entrants to the inspectorate.

On 1st June 1973 there were 486 general factory inspectors in post, plus 143 specialist inspectors and 36 assistant inspectors.The entry qualifications for general inspectors are broadly as follows: either an honours or postgraduate degree in any discipline; or an ordinary degree or higher national certificate in a scientific or technological subject, together with three years' subsequent executive or managerial experience.The starting salary ranges from £1,422 to £1,830 depending on qualifications and experience. There is an additional allowance of £175 in inner London and £90 in outer London.The qualifications and pay for specialist and assistant inspectors are different.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what increase he proposes to make in the size of the Factory Inspectorate in 1974.

I expect the number of factory inspectors to increase by about 60 during 1974, although this figure will be subject to the reorganisation following the proposed establishment of a safety and health authority.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why there was a 20 per cent. increase in the notifiable accidents which resulted in burns to the feet and ankles of persons employed in foundries in 1972.

The total number of accidents of this type notified from foundries was 652 in 1972, a drop of about 10 per cent. from the total of 725 in 1971. Not all these accidents occurred in circumstances now covered by the Foundries (Protective Footwear and Gaiters) Regulations, where, as I told the hon. Member on 28th June, the figures have been estimated at 552 for 1971 and 630 for 1972. However, the latter figure for 1971 is likely to be an under-estimate because it derives from particulars given on statutory notices of accidents which proved insufficient for analysis in many cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the 11,304 general inspections carried out in 1972 by district inspectors under the Factories Act 1961 and the Offices, Shops and Railways Premises Act 1963 were carried out under the Factories Act 1961.

I regret that this information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

			Percentage unemployed for
		Up to 13 weeks Per cent.	Over 13 and up to 26 weeks Per cent.	Over 26 and up to 52 weeks Per cent.	Over 52 weeks Per cent.	Total Per cent.
Hull employment exchange area	—	44·7	13·0	15·3	27·0	100·0
All development areas	—	42·5	14·9	16·1	26·5	100·0
Great Britain	—	46·1	14·8	15·0	24·1	100·0

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many industrial plants have been closed down during the last 12 months; and in how many cases he was given early warning and was able to take any step to arrange alternative employment.

According to my Department's records during the period 1st July 1972 to 30th June 1973,

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of those unemployed in the Hull employment exchange area are under 21 years of age, over 45 years of age, men and women, respectively; and how this compares with the development areas and the national average, respectively.

Detailed analyses of the unemployed by age are made in January and July each year. Information is available for unemployed people aged under 20 but not for those aged under 21. Following is the available information for 8th January 1973:

	Percentage of unemployed who are
	Under 20 years of age Per cent.	45 years of age and over Per cent.
Hull employment exchange area	15·7	35·1
All development areas	18·1	32·9
Great Britain	14·4	38·2

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage of those unemployed in the Hull employment exchange area who have been unemployed for a period of 13 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks, respectively; and how this compares with the national average and development areas.

Following is the available information for 9th April 1973:590 establishments in manufacturing industry were closed down in Great Britain. In 430 of these cases sufficient warning was given to enable advance arrangements to obtain alternative employment for the redundant workpeople.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of people, male and female, who were declared redundant during 1972 in Greater London industries, specifying, in particular, the labour fall-out in the building and construction industry.

The total number of people recorded by my Department as due to become redundant in the Greater London Council area in manufacturing industry in 1972 was 27, 780, and in construction 710. Separate male and female figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that his Department should bear in mind the local availability of labour when considering whether work permits should be granted; and what action he intends to take;(2) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that consideration should be given to the organisation of work so that flexible working hours and the choice between full and part-time work can be made available to the maximum number of women; and what action he intends to take;(3) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that a concentrated effort should be made through careers guidance to make girls aware of the range of employment opportunities available to them; and what action he intends to take;(4) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women recommending the rapid expansion of day nurseries and nursery school provision with flexible hours adjusted to the requirements of working mothers; and what action he intends to take;(5) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the employment of women that it is a matter of maximum importance that the impact on training of the reduced training levy should be closely monitored to stimulate training of women; and what action he intends to take;(6) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that officers with specialist knowledge of the matters most closely affecting women at work should be available to give advice in job centres; and what action he intends to take;(7) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that to help parents seeking placement advice, occupational guidance or training information play areas be provided in employment exchanges so as to encourage more women to use employment services; and what action he intends to take;(8) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that as soon as employment exchanges are in a position to accept and process the information there should be a statutory requirement to notify all vacancies to the State employment offices; and what action he intends to take;(9) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women recommending an inquiry into the conditions under which home work is carried out, on the evasion of registration, and to ensure that this registration is properly enforced; and what action he intends to take;(10) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that it is vital that his Department should have regular contact with women's organisations and particularly with the Women's National Commission; and what action he intends to take;(11) what consideration he has given to the proposal of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee on the Employment of Women that as a matter of urgency the inequality in the training grants paid to men and women should be removed; and what action he intends to take;

I am still considering these recommendations of the Sixth Report from the Expenditure Committee. The Government's views on the report will be published in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to set up the working party to produce a code of practice for the safe use and storage of plastic foams; and what steps he proposes to take in the meantime to improve the safe use and storage of these foams and. in particular, in respect of isocynates.

The working party to produce a code of practice for the safe use and storage of expanded polyurethane foam in industry has already been set up and held its first meeting on 26th June 1973. In the meantime the Factory Inspectorate will continue to require the standards set out in Technical Data Note No. 29 (Rev)"Fire Risk in the Storage and Industrial Use of Cellular Plastics" for these foams and Technical Data Note No. 41 "Isocyanates" for protection against isocyanates.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimates his Department has made of the number of men and women in the principal distant water fishing ports engaged in the maintenance and construction of distant water trawlers, the manning of vessels and the sale and distribution of fish and ancillary trades which will be adversely affected if the Icelandic Government are successful in establishing fishing limits of 50 miles; and if he will make a statement.

It is not possible to quantify the employment effects of this hypothetical development.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he now has for legislation on the subject of unfair dismissals, collective dismissals and redundancies.

I am keeping the operation of the unfair dismissals provision of the Industrial Relations Act under review. I also have the statutory redundancies payments scheme under review. An opportunity of reviewing the situation as regards collective dismissals will be provided by a draft directive prepared by the Commission of the European Economic Communities, at present under consideration by the Economic and Social Committee which advises the Council of Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, in each of the cities where he is aware of small clothing factories housed in unsuitable premises, how many factory inspectors are involved, how many of such factories they are responsible for in each case, and how often such factories in the case of each city are visited by an inspector.

There are many small clothing factories scattered among towns and cities throughout the country. Some of these are in old-fashioned premises converted for factory use and in some cases the premises are unsuitable. These factories are visited by the local factory inspectors as part of the inspection programme for their districts. No special arrangements are made to allocate inspectors to deal only with clothing factories. The frequency of visits to any particular factory depends on the degree of risk to those employed there. For example, more frequent visits are paid to small clothing factories with a high risk of fire than to others.I am writing to the hon. Member to give him fuller information about these issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in what other cities outside London he is aware of small clothing factories housed in unsuitable premises; which local authorities he has contacted to supply him with information about such premises which he intends to contact in future; by what date he expects to get this information; and what action he is contemplating when he receives it.

I am aware that there are small clothing factories scattered among many towns and cities throughout the country outside London. Some of these are in unsuitable premises, for instance, in Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The Factory Inspectorate maintains close contact with local authorities in all areas, particularly on matters related to fire and public health, and will continue to do so. It has not been necessary to make special arrangements with local authorities outside London.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when first his Department became aware of the reappearance of clothing industry sweatshops in each of the cities where he is now aware they exist; and what action has been taken in the case of each city as a result of these respective discoveries.

There is no evidence of a reappearance of the once notorious sweatshop where young people and women were exploited for low wages. Attention is paid to clothing factories of all kinds as part of the general duty of the Factory Inspectorate, and where un- satisfactory conditions have not been remedied legal proceedings are instituted by the Factory Inspectorate against owners and occupiers. During the last three years legal proceedings have been taken in 17 separate towns outside of London.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what shortage of skills in the Northern Region has been notified to his Department; and what steps he has taken to deal with the problem.

The principal labour shortages in the region are of certain skilled construction workers and of suitable recruits for the clothing industry. In some areas the rapid expansion of the economy is also beginning to cause problems of recruitment and deployment in other sectors also. The increase in Government training and the improvements we are making to our employment services should help employers to overcome these difficulties.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action his Department is taking to reduce the increasing population of urban foxes in Bexhill on Sea and elsewhere.

As I explained to my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington (Mr. Stanbrook) on 6th February 1973, we do not propose to disturb the present arrangements under which control is a matter for the occupier although it is open to local authorities to provide a service.—[Vol. 850, c. 71.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has given to owners of trees affected by Dutch elm disease who are outside the boundary where a local council is prepared to offer assistance.

Responsibility for dealing with trees affected by Dutch elm disease lies with the owner; but information on the disease and on the replacement of dead elms is available from the Forestry Commission.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many clerical, administrative and secretarial staff have been recruited into the Civil Service from private employment agencies in each of the years 1970, 1971 and 1972.

Precise information of this nature is not held centrally and to compile it would involve disproportionate cost to public funds. I am satisfied, however, that the number of staff recruited into the Civil Service from private employment agencies is negligible.

asked the Minister of State for Defence, in view of the importance, in the context of the saving of casualties, of the use of civil cars by the military in Ulster, if he will increase their issue so that there is at least one per company; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that the Army has sufficient civilian cars in Northern Ireland to meet its present needs, although their use does not necessarily help to prevent casualties.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will list the number of times and the statutes in which retrospection has been authorised in Acts originating in his Department which have received the Royal Assent in the past three years.

None.

asked the Minister of State for Defence if he will set out in table form the establishments with their respective acreage in respect of each of the three Services for the training of personnel in supply, secretarial skills, and catering.

The information requested is not immediately available and I shall write to my hon. Friend shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many comprehensive schools in England and Wales are without sixth form facilities; and what proportion of the total number of comprehensive schools this represents.

The information is not available precisely in this form. Of a total of 1,423 comprehensive schools in England in January 1972 there were 370, amounting to 26 per cent., mainly for pupils up to the minimum school-leaving age.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps, if any, she intends to take arising from the findings in Appendices F and G and the recommendations in Chapter 6 of the Report on Provincial Museums and Galleries sponsored by her Department, which relate to problems of staff gradings, salary levels, and career structure.

The conditions of employment in museums and galleries are the responsibility of the authorities that maintain them. The recommendations in the report are addressed to these authorities. My right hon. Friend has drawn the attention of local authorities to the report in a circular which invites them to study its contents.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in view of the fact that manual information services produce more useful information than computerised ones, at less cost, if she will require the Office for Scientific and Technical Information to cease spending money on new computerised scientific documentation information projects.

No. The proper use of computer-based and non-computer based systems, and their relative advantages, need to be kept under continuous review in this time of advancing technology and falling computer costs.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will require that, in producing research reports, the Office for Scientific and Technical Information shall publish all the evidence on which its conclusions are based.

In the very few cases where OSTI commissions research it follows the general conditions which it makes when grant-aiding research. These are that the results of the research should be made available

"in accordance with the normal scientific practice"

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total amount of money made available by the Office for Scientific and Technical Information for research and development related to computerised information services in the period 1965 to 1972.

About £770,000, excluding a relatively small but unquantifiable amount spent by the Documentation Processing Centre.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many polytechnic colleges there are in North Wales.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was to total amount of money made available to the Scientific Documentation Centre Ltd., Dunfermline, Fife, for research and development related to manual information services from 1961–1972.

None. I would however, draw attention to my reply to the hon. Member's Question of 9th July.—[Vol. 859, c. 271.]

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the amounts of money spent by the Office for Scientific and Technical Information on the Manchester Data Processing Centre, on administration and on all other purposes in the period 1965 to 1972.

The figures, from April 1965 to March 1972, are £563,000 for the Documentation Processing Centre, £450,000 for headquarters administration and £2, 825,000 for grants, occasional contracts and—since 1970—postgraduate awards.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if it is her policy to treat research and development expenditure as being part of the total overall cost of introducing new services or products; and if she will make a statement.

As Cmnd. 5046 made clear, the purposes of my Department's support of scientific research through the research councils and University Grants Committee is to develop the sciences as such, to maintain a fundamental capacity for research, and to support higher education. The Office for Scientific and Technical Information supports experiments with new services only for research purposes of broad interest. Where marketable products result, their exploitation is the responsibility of the National Research Development Corporation. My Department's support for educational research is related partly to existing educational provision and partly to the introduction of new policies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will site the proposed staff training college for the Home Office Prison Service in the county of Montgomery.

I have considered several sites in Montgomeryshire, but I regret that none of them proved suitable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of boys sentenced to borstal training commit other offences within two years of release.

The most recent figures available are in the Annual Report on the work of the Prison Department (Statistical Volume) for 1971 (Cmnd. 5156), and relate to England and Wales. Of young men discharged from borstal in 1966, 1967 and 1968, 61 per cent., 65·4 per cent. and 65·1 per cent. respectively were reconvicted within a period of two years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons released from borstal has (1) been before the courts for further offences and (2) been returned either to prison or to borstal within five years of their first release from borstal, giving the figures for the last five years for which they are available.

I regret that information in the form requested is not available. Such information as can be provided about reconvictions of young men released from borstal is published in the Annual Report on the work of the Prison Department (Statistical Volume) (Cmnd. 5156.) Of the young men discharged from borstal in 1966, 1967 and 1968 in England and Wales, 61 per cent., 65·4 per cent. and 65·1 per cent. respectively were reconvicted within a period of two years, and 46·7 per cent., 46·9 per cent. and 46·8 per cent. respectively were recommitted to prison or borstal under sentence. The corresponding figures for young women are 34·4 per cent., 37·9 per cent., 38·8 per cent. and 14·4 per cent., 21·5 per cent. and 16·3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the fixed penalty notices for parking offences, imposed during the last six months for which records were available and which were cancelled on the ground of diplomatic immunity, were incurred by each foreign and commercial diplomatic mission in this country.

The following table, compiled from police records, gives particulars by country or international organisation of the number of cancellations of fixed penalty notices on grounds of diplomatic immunity during the period 1st November 1972 to 30 April 1973:

Country	Numbers
Afghanistan	32
Algeria	55
Argentine Republic	179
Australia	5
Austria	8
Bahrein	58
Bangladesh	14
Barbados	119
Belgium	141
Bolivia	1
Botswana	3
Brazil	164
Bulgaria	215
Burma	53
Cameroon	165
Canada	93
Chile	59
China	7
Colombia	40
Costa Rica	31
Cuba	723
Cyprus	822
Czechoslovakia	45
Denmark	52
Dominican Republic	12
Ecuador	186
Egypt, Arab Republic of	610
El Salvador	24
Ethiopia	111
Fiji	6
Finland	27
France	216
Gabon	5
The Gambia	8
Federal Republic of Germany	89
Ghana	760
Greece	564
Guyana	104
Haiti	6
Honduras	129
Hungary	560
Iceland	11
India	176
Indonesia	324
Iran	655
Iraq	81
Republic of Ireland	35
Israel	107
Italy	68
Ivory Coast	122
Jamaica	467
Japan	24
Jordan	164
Kenya	122
Khmer Republic	12
Korea	463
Kuwait	280
Laos	3
Lebanon	58
Liberia	51

Country	Numbers
Libya	187
Luxembourg	1
Malagasy Republic	166
Malawi	63
Malaysia	309
Malta G.C.	63
Mauritius	38
Mexico	105
Mongolia	6
Morocco	114
Nepal	3
Netherlands	4
Federal Republic of Nigeria	1, 637
Norway	30
Oman	4
Pakistan	629
Panama	45
Paraguay	110
Peru	170
Philippines	27
Poland	316
Portugal	102
Qatar	11
Romania	83
Ruanda	3
Saudi Arabia	694
Senegal	63
Sierra Leone	174
Singapore	21
Somali Democratic Republic	9
Republic of South Africa	11
Soviet Union	139
Spain	45
Republic of Sri Lanka	102
Sudan	115
Sweden	4
Switzerland	21
Tanzania	72
Thailand	198
Tonga	2
Trinidad and Tobago	97
Tunisia	132
Turkey	455
Uganda	115
United Arab Emirates	5
United States of America	26
Uruguay	21
Venezuela	131
Vietnam	45
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen	7
Yemen Arab Republic	66
Yugoslavia	403
Zaire, Republic of	126
Zambia	233
Western European Union	7
EEC Commission	6
Commonwealth Secretariat	15
International Maritime Consultative Organisation	23
International Coffee Organisation	18
Eastern Caribbean Commission	6
	17, 557

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reply he has given to the National Asso- ciation of Licensed House Managers concerning the number of assaults that have occurred on licensed premises; and if he is satisfied that the present method of collecting crime statistics allows for this particular crime to be identified.

The association has been told, in correspondence with the Home Office, that statistics of assaults occurring in a particular type of place are not at present separately identifiable.The Report of the Departmental Committee on Criminal Statistics (Cmnd. 3448) made a number of recommendations for improving the criminal statistics which would include distinguishing offences such as serious assaults according to the circumstances in which they occurred, but their implementation would require additional expenditure and manpower which my right hon. Friend does not believe would be justified at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims have been allowed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what was the shortest, longest and average length of time, respectively, between the submission of the claim and making of the decision.

During the financial year 1972–73, 6,822 applications arising in England and Wales were resolved by the making of an award.The information required to answer the second part of the Question is not available in the form requested, but the following table gives in respect of England, Wales and Scotland information for 1972–73 concerning the period taken in investigating applications and preparing them for decision by board members:

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Time Taken to Investigate Cases 1972–73
	per cent
Not more than 3 months	48
More than 3 months but not more than 6 months	30
More than 6 months but not more than 9 months	13
More than 9 months but not more than 12 months	5
More than 12 months	4

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the prices paid by the Refreshment Department for merchandise sold in the Members' Dining Room, Tea Room, and Cafeteria in June 1970 and the prices charged for these items and the latest figures in comparison, and the help given to meet the costs of the Department's outgoings in rent, rates, heat, light, furnishings, etc., and staff wages; and how much the latter wage rates have risen over this period.

		Prices Paid		Members' Dining Room Prices Charged		Cafeteria and Tea Room Prices Charged
Items		1970	1973	1970	1973	1970	1973
Sausages	…	14½ p per lb.	18p	4½ p	6½ p	4½ P	6½ p
Steak (Sirloin)	…	27½ p per lb.	78p	40p	50p (braised)	33p	43p
Fish (Plaice)	…	27½ p per lb.	48p	28p	40p*	18p	26½ p†
Tomatoes	…	11p per lb.	17½ p	—	—	2½ p (small) 3½ p (large)	3½ p (small) 4½ p (large)
Meat Pies	…	71½ p per dozen	90p	—	—	9p	13p
Cheese	…	13½ p per lb.	25½ p	5p	6p	4p	5½ p
* Fresh fish is served in the Members' Dining Room.
† Frozen fish is served in the cafeterias

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why he advised the Queen to revoke the commission of appointment of Lord Grey of Naunton as Governor of Northern Ireland, without replacement, in anticipation of the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Bill and the Royal Assent thereto.

All functions of the Governor of Northern Ireland were vested in the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972 and my right hon. Friend saw no reason to recommend the appointment of a successor to Lord Grey of Naunton.

I have been asked to reply.The information asked for over a representative selection of merchandise is given below. It would not be possible, without disproportionate expense, to list every single item purchased and sold, nor to detail the separate costs in respect of rent, rates, heat, lighting and furnishings.The Refreshment Department will receive £47,000 during the current year as a grant-in-aid towards the cost of wages during recess periods.Staff wages have increased 28½ per cent. since January 1970.The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will give a general direction to the Post Office to inquire into the increasing use of plastic instead of metal in certain working components of telephones, and assess the saving in original cost against the expenses of increased calls for service and the quicker deterioration of plastic against metal.

No. The specification of telephone components is a matter for the Post Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money is spent annually on warning people of the dangers of cancer and of the need for a regular check-up.

Precise information on the total amount spent is not available centrally, but I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford (Mr. Woodhouse) on 19th April.—[Vol. 855, c. 179–80.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will expedite the provision of medical health centres for the city of Leicester.